Makers Of Popular 'Austin Eastciders' Beverage Reconfigure Management Amid Expansion Plans

EAST AUSTIN, TX — Brad McKeever, who laid the foundation to launch the popular Austin Eastciders craft cedar brand, was recently named vice president of sales for the brand, officials said.

In that role, McKeever will have full responsibility for all sales activities of the brand while reporting directly to CEO Johnny Heiselberg. McKeever's appointment frees up Eastciders co-founder, board member and president Mark King to focus solely on driving the companies expansion plans "...to further the goal of becoming the best-selling craft cider in America," officials said in a press release posted on the Brewbound website.

King is credited for his early work in 2013 in developing the brand, including the import of the first finished ferments from Europe, and has since helped navigate the company to its current sales rate as the No. 1 selling cider in Austin and its second rank in terms of sales throughout Texas.

"In King’s elevated role with the company he will lead planning for a mindful growth strategy, extending Austin Eastciders 12-state reach to new markets in a sustainable and profitable manner," company officials said. "King will also be charged with the development of the company’s tasting room, which is targeted to open in East Austin in the summer of 2017."

Amassing more than 30 years' experience in the beer industry, McKeever was most recently the regional vice president of the Sun Belt region (Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi) at Pabst Brewing Company, where he led sales and profit growth initiatives for the company’s brand portfolio in the six-state division. He began at Pabst in 2012 as the director of sales and marketing for Texas, moved on to become the general manager of the Texas division, and also served as the general manager for the Sun Belt division at Pabst.

Prior to his work at Pabst, McKeever worked at Anheuser-Busch for 20 years, "... where he started his career working up and down the streets in New York City," officials wrote. McKeever held several positions at Anheuser-Busch including senior retail sales director during his career with the company. Officials noted McKeever brings his vast experience in the industry to Austin Eastciders at an ideal time as the brand sets the stage for expansion.

“We have found the perfect person to lead our sales efforts in Brad McKeever as few people know our core markets and organizational growth needs as well as he does,” said CEO Johnny Heiselberg. “Brad will add tremendous bandwidth to our talented team as we strive to share the taste of our Texas cider on a greater scale and grow the brand across Texas, the East Coast, and beyond.”
After opening in East Austin in 2013, Austin Eastciders expanded to an additional 33,000-square-foot cidery in Southeast Austin, at 4007 Commercial Center Drive, on July 1, 2016. The cidery is a multi-purpose facility with large production and administrative areas to accommodate the company’s team of 56 employees, officials said.

Officials noted that Austin Eastciders bears the distinction of being one of the few cider makers in the United States using bittersweet cider apples to produce its line of ciders, which includes Austin Eastciders Original Dry Cider, Austin Eastciders Texas Honey, Austin Eastciders Hopped Cider, and Austin Eastciders Pineapple Cider. All widely distributed Austin Eastciders products are 5 percent alcohol beverage content (ABV) and are available by draft and in 6-pack and 12-packs of 12-ounce cans.

For more information on the Austin Eastciders cidery, the Austin Eastciders team, or Austin Eastciders products, interested consumers can find Austin Eastciders on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram under @Eastciders or visit austineastciders.com.

>>> Imagery via Austin Eastciders Facebook page